U S A

by Tiité

The unveiling of Peace Marker U.S.A. was a simple ceremony attended by a number of friends —some of whom are officials of the City of Cape Coral with decades of work on behalf of the arts in our new and growing community. Among them are Cher Bell and AliciaEskin of the Cape Coral Art Studio.

The launch of this project realized a lifetime of work. It renewed an expectation that, maybe, a group of artists and I from around the world could bring forth a work of art endowed with enough beauty and consequence and that we could present this to humanity as evidence that our civilization has come to the threshold of a new worldview —a worldview where “peace” plays a dynamic role in the affairs of the world and where art and life are once again reconciled.

Peace Marker U.S.A. marked the beginning of an installation work of art where art goes out for the first time in an attempt to operate globally and to offer a whole new aspect to the dialogue concerning world peace.

Peace Marker U.S.A. was unveiled in Rubicond Park next to park’s namesake sculpture, the “Twin Leaf Tailed Rubicond.” This monumentally scaled sculpture was unveiled in 1981 as part of an “Urban Environment” that is more appropriately described today as an installation.

Peace Marker United States of America was placed without a nominated Ambassador at the time of the launch of the project, the reason was that Peace Marker Bosnia i Herzegovina was to also be unveiled on the same day. Therefore Tiité stood in as temporary ambassador in order to preserve the U.S.A. as "point of peace #1" since the project had been designed and launched in the United States.

Peace has got to be one of the oldest words in use by our species. It probably goes back many a millennia. It is also a word that conjures up a general feeling of resignation about its persistent absence in our world. It seems that we, humanity, have long given up hope that peace can and should be a part of human existence.

The unveiling of Peace Marker U.S.A. launched WPMP amidst that feeling of resignation. At the time and outside the small circle of attendees, the event was received as just another art project with a symbolic dream for peace and not much more. Its rendezvous with reality that day, however, offered at least a glimpse of a more visible path to come as another Peace Marker was simultaneously unveiled that day in Bosnia-Herzegovina and subsequent markers make their appearances around the world.

The Twin Leaf-Tailed Rubicond sculpture is a story unto itself. For now, it needs only to be noted that its selection as the site for Peace Marker U.S.A. was preconceived decades ago. But I proudly take this opportunity to note, once again, that the structural integrity and stately bearing of the sculpture owes greatly to the ingenuity and talents of Doug Parsons, Dana Parsons and the other members of my fabrication crew at Cape Coral Fabricating Inc. back in 1981. And, I will never forget the generosity of C.C.F.’s executive, John Chiapetta, who tolerated my cost overruns and shared in my dreams.

Peace Marker U.S.A. is indebted to Brent Scheneman, Cher Bell and Melissa Martin for their contributions to the logistic challenge of launching the program. I am proud to acknowledge Michael G. Przystawik for lending the fabrication facilities of Waltzing Waters Inc.; Jeff Elliot for the fabrication; and Timothy Morey and Kurt Esposito of TK Machine Inc. for engraving Peace Marker U.S.A.

I extend my gratitude to the City of Cape Coral Council member Gloria Tate for her work in the passing of the Rubicond Park Resolution and to all others involved in the process.